Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

“Zeon has returned.”

At the report from his subordinate, Johan looked up.

Behind his glasses, his small eyes showed no emotion.

“When?”

“About two hours ago.”

“After fifteen days?”

“Yes.”

“So he caused such a stir and then disappeared for fifteen days?”

Johan frowned.

The Dongdaemun faction suffered the most from the White Bear Caravan incident.

Brixton, Kim Jae-kyung, and the berserkers they sent were all dead.

Not a single one survived; they were completely annihilated.

The loss was colossal.

When Johan first heard the report, he had laughed in disbelief.

It was hard to accept and believe.

He initially thought his subordinate was lying, but the report was true.

His trusted subordinates had all lost their lives. One-third of Dongdaemun’s power had vanished in an instant.

The only consolation was that most factions that sent troops to the fortress suffered near-total losses.

The issue was Zeon.

Through a few survivors, word spread that Zeon had killed Balrog. His true awakened ability was also revealed.

‘A Sand Mage.’

He hadn’t imagined such an awakened ability could exist.

In a world where most of the land had turned to sand, the utility of a sand mage was limitless.

Even a C-rank sand mage would be highly valued, but Zeon was estimated to be at least A-rank.

And that was a conservative estimate.

Judging by his victory over Balrog, he was certainly S-rank.

The emergence of an S-rank Sand Mage had put all the power holders in Neo Seoul on alert.

A secret scramble to recruit Zeon was underway.

However, since Zeon had been absent for fifteen days, the scramble had not come to the surface.

Now that Zeon had returned, factions from all districts would begin their recruitment efforts in earnest.

“This is troublesome.”

The problem was that Dongdaemun couldn’t participate in the scramble for Zeon.

They were already enemies with Zeon, so extending a recruitment offer would be futile.

It would only make them look foolish.

But they couldn’t just leave Zeon alone either.

If left unchecked, Zeon would undoubtedly become a threat to Dongdaemun. Even if Zeon didn’t intend it, circumstances would lead that way.

They had to eliminate Zeon before that happened.

“Do I have to act myself?”

Johan’s thoughts deepened.

* * *

Zeon hung his robe on the wall.

His home, unchanged since he left, felt comforting.

Though Brielle and Levin had taken good care of it, it was mainly protected by the Watching Eye.

Many had come to recruit Zeon while he was away. Some even tried to break in by force. But all their attempts failed.

No one could enter without Zeon’s permission.

As soon as he entered the house, Brielle handed him a bottle of red liquid.

“You must be tired. Drink this and rest.”

“What is this?”

“I made it. It’s great for recovering from fatigue.”

Zeon eyed the red liquid suspiciously. It looked like blood, which made him hesitant.

“Just drink it! It’s really good.”

“Alright.”

Unable to resist Brielle’s insistence, Zeon drank the red liquid.

The moment he drank it, Zeon was surprised.

He felt a surge of energy throughout his body.

Brielle looked at him with shining eyes.

“Isn’t it amazing?”

“Yeah!”

“Hehe! It’s a success.”

“You made this?”

“Yes! I was trying to make a mana recovery potion, but this came out. It restores vitality instead of mana.”

“That’s incredible! For a non-item, this is highly effective.”

“Yay!”

Brielle jumped with joy at Zeon’s praise.

‘Her talent is blossoming.’

When he first saved Brielle, she was just a drug-addicted mess. But now, she barely showed any signs of that past.

Although she still had days when her eyes lost focus due to lingering aftereffects, she was blossoming her talent despite that.

‘Is it because she’s a High Elf?’

Zeon couldn’t predict how far Brielle would go if she continued to develop.

She was still young and would live very long as a High Elf. Zeon couldn’t foresee what kinds of items she might create in the future.

Her potential was limitless.

“How much of this can you make?”

“I’ve perfected the recipe. As long as I have the ingredients, I can make as much as I need.”

“Are the ingredients easy to find?”

“Um…”

“It’s difficult, huh?”

“Yes, I can get them, but they’re expensive.”

“That’s fine then. At least they can be obtained.”

Zeon chuckled.

Money was not an issue.

His Subspace was filled with valuable items.

For him, such a vitality potion was more helpful.

“I’ll let Yoo Se-hee know. You can take whatever you need from the Goblin Market.”

“Actually, I was thinking… What if we partner up with her?”

“Partner up?”

“It would be much more profitable…”

“Do as you like.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes!”

With Zeon’s permission, Brielle’s face lit up with a bright smile.

After the incident with the summoning of Balrog, she had learned a lot.

The determination and resentment of one human had brought a catastrophic monster like Balrog into the world.

And that human’s target of vengeance had been people like her, the otherworldly races.

At first, she couldn’t understand such blind hatred and anger.

But when she thought about it from the other perspective, she realized she might feel the same way.

To humans, the otherworldly races were invaders who had ruined their world.

Had they not crossed over to survive, Earth wouldn’t have become so desolate, and countless humans wouldn’t have died.

With so much resentment directed at them, it was not surprising that someone would plan such a revenge.

‘We can’t undo what our race has done, but I still want to do something for the people in the slums.’

She wanted to use the profits from the vitality potion to help the people here.

That was why she wanted to partner with Yoo Se-hee.

“I’ll go to the Goblin Market, so you rest, Zeon.”

“Alright.”

Brielle ran out, and once alone, Zeon sank into the sofa.

“Huu!”

He buried himself deep in the sofa, feeling a sense of relief.

Zeon sat on the sofa and looked out the window.

Beyond the red neon signs, he could see the high walls and the City Hall.

Zeon stared at the City Hall for a long time before falling asleep.

He woke up the next morning.

Despite sleeping on the sofa, he didn’t feel tired at all.

It was probably thanks to the vitality potion he had taken the day before.

“She’s created something amazing.”

It’d be more useful for lower-ranked Awakeneds than someone like Zeon.

If a single bottle of potion could relieve all fatigue, there would be no reason not to buy it.

Once released on the market, it would likely become very popular.

“Now, Jin Geum-ho wants to see me.”

Zeon furrowed his brows unconsciously.

Jin Geum-ho was the ruler of Neo Seoul.

A monster who had lived since the same era as Dyoden.

He was estimated to be over 150 years old.

No other human, aside from the otherworldly races, had survived as long as he had.

At least, not among the people Zeon knew.

An Awakened who had survived longer than Dyoden and could be just as powerful.

And this person wanted to see Zeon.

Zeon wasn’t afraid.

Though he hadn’t lived as long as Jin Geum-ho, Zeon had survived through formidable challenges himself.

He was confident he wouldn’t be outmatched, especially in the desert.

But inside Neo Seoul, it was different.

Neo Seoul was protected by various magical circles and barriers, preventing external sand from entering.

Without sand, Zeon’s power would be halved.

Knowing this, Jin Geum-ho was undoubtedly trying to bring Zeon to Neo Seoul.

“I need to be well-prepared.”

If he only loses a little, that would be fortunate.

In the moment of carelessness, he could lose his life or end up with a leash around his neck.

“No time to rest, huh? Ha.”

Zeon sighed when the door opened.

“Oh, I’m back, hyung.”

Levin walked in.

“You were out all night?”

“Yes.”

Levin nodded as if it were obvious.

“You’re working hard. Any progress?”

“Not yet.”

Levin shook his head.

He was still tracking the serial killer. But the killer had completely disappeared after that night.

He had covered his tracks perfectly.

He hadn’t committed any more murders either.

It was clear he was hiding somewhere, healing his wounds.

The problem was they had no idea where he was hiding.

“Once he heals and resurfaces, he’ll likely kill again…”

Levin sighed.

He had already lost his family, but he didn’t want more victims.

“Well, next time I encounter him, I won’t let him escape.”

Zeon smiled as he watched Levin’s determination.

Levin had grown a lot.

While tracking the killer, he had naturally made contact with many people, building a network of connections.

These connections formed the basis of Levin’s own information network.

Though not comparable to an organization like Argos’ Eye, it was still impressive that he had built his own network.

Zeon put on his robe and said,

“I’m going to get some food. Want to come?”

“I’ll join you.”

“Let’s go.”

“Yes!”

Levin followed Zeon out.

The streets were still quiet, as it was early.

They headed towards the street where old man Klexi’s stall was.

Slurp!

Klexi’s stall already had a customer.

A large man with short hair was eating with his head down.

Even from behind, Zeon recognized him instantly.

Zeon sat next to the man and spoke.

“Fancy meeting you here.”

“You’ve arrived.”

The man turned to look at Zeon.

He had a large scar across his right cheek and striking golden eyes.

His name was Lee Ji-ryeong.

The leader of the Pegasus Raiders and the brother of the man Zeon had killed.

“The food here is good. I didn’t expect to find such a place in the slums.”

“The old man’s skills are impressive. We’ll have the same, please.”

Zeon ordered food from Klexi.

“Got it. Ahem!”

Klexi cleared his throat and started cooking.

Zeon spoke to Lee Ji-ryeong.

“You didn’t come all the way here just for slum food. You’re here to see me, right?”

“You’ve made quite the scene.”

“You mean Balrog?”

“Yes. Revealing your awakened ability like that was a foolish move.”

“Was it?”

“Now, those who covet your power will flock to you like vultures. Can you handle it?”

“It was something that had to be revealed eventually. I’ll manage.”

“You sound confident.”

“So, did you come to give me advice?”

“No, I came to make a proposal.”

“A… proposal?”

“Yes! A proposal. Let’s conquer a dungeon together.”